DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — Students from Northern Lights College (NLC) now have access to a state-of-the-art trades training facility at its Dawson Creek campus.
“This new facility is a state-of-the-art learning centre that will provide training opportunities in skilled trades for residents of northeastern British Columbia. Northern Lights College is a training centre of choice that serves the needs of students and industry throughout our region and beyond for generations to come,” said Bryn Kulmatycki, president and CEO of Northern Lights College, in a statement.
The facility was designed by Vancouver’s McFarland Marceau Architects with a consulting team that included Richard Buccino Landscaping, WSP Canada as civil engineer, Equilibrium Consulting Inc, as structural engineer, Rocky Point Engineering as mechanical and Jarvis Engineering as electrical engineer.
Ledcor Group of Companies began construction on the $34.4-million project in 2014. The project officially wrapped up in the late summer for classes to begin in September.
The new centre will provide students with hands-on learning using industry-standard equipment to gain the tools and skills necessary for a career in the skilled trades, the release reads. NLC offers several trades and apprenticeships programs, including aircraft maintenance engineering, electrician and power engineering.
The new facility will house the carpenter, millwright (industrial mechanic), plumber, welding and wind-turbine maintenance programs.
The 43,000-square-foot facility is connected via an indoor walkway to the main building of the Dawson Creek campus. It replaces several old structures previously used by the college for trades training. The new building also provides physical capacity for up to 96 new full-time-equivalent spaces which represents a 33 per cent increase and will create better access for prospective trades students in NLC’s vast campus region across northern B.C.
According to the release, $14.6 million in funding was provided through the Government of Canada’s Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund and $16.4 million was provided by the Province of British Columbia. The remaining $3.4 million was provided by NLC and donors.
Great to hear that after 16 years of trades failure the B.C. the province woke up.
In 2002, the B.C. Liberal government eliminated compulsory trades, slashed training support, increased tuition fees for apprentices, cut staffing at the provincial training authority and closed regional training offices across the province.
This opened the door for cheaper, unskilled labour to perform work previously done by apprentices or journeypersons, leading to compromises in safety, quality and consumer protection.
Ontario is eager to follow the same path of mistakes by closing OCOT and slashing apprenticeship programs, anyone can buy a hammer, screwdriver and safety boots and get a job in the future in Ontario on a job site.